Worcester, Mass – Max Scherzer racked up eight strikeouts in less than five innings, and the Buffalo Bisons offense erupted for 14 runs, on their way to a 14-1 victory over the Worcester Red Sox on Wednesday night at Polar Park.
Scherzer used 75 pitches in his second Major League injury rehab start for the Bisons, working four and one-third innings. He surrendered just one base hit and walked two, picking 48 strikes across his 75 pitch outing.
The Bisons recorded runs in six innings of the nine innings, and eight players notched a hit. Defensively, the Bisons struck out Worcester batters 12 times and held the Red Sox to four hits.
In the top of the second inning, Buffalo struck early and often thanks to proficient eye discipline. Yohendrick Piñango led off the inning with a walk, and was followed by Rainer Nunez being hit by a pitch and a Christian Bethancourt bunt-single, which loaded the bases. Josh Rivera hit a single that brought Piñango home, earning the Bisons an early 1-0 lead. Will Wagner and Michael Stefanic reached base on a walk that brought Nunez and Bethancourt home, respectively, extending Buffalo’s lead to 3-0. Nathan Lukes, who is on a Major League rehab assignment, continued Buffalo’s push to 4-0 with an RBI single. Two batters later, Riley Tirotta drew a walk, which pushed Wagner home, making the Buffalo lead 5-0.
In the third inning, the Bisons continued to extend the lead. Bethancourt led off the inning and was hit by a pitch, and was later brought home on a Wagner single, bringing the lead to 6-0. Rivera reached base on a walk and later crossed home plate to make the lead 7-0 on a Lukes force out.
The fourth inning once again saw the Bisons add to their lead. Tirotta led off the inning and earned his second walk, and a batter later, Piñango hit a hard single to right field. Nunez grounded into a double play, but not before Tirotta scored, pushing the Bisons’ lead to 8-0.
In the top of the fifth, Wagner reached base on a walk, and Stefanic tallied a single to center. Moments later, Lukes hit a three-run home run, thrusting the Bisons’ advantage to 11-0. Lukes finished the night 3-4, with five RBIs, and a run.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Red Sox got on the board. Blaze Jordan hit his second home run of the season on a solo shot, cutting Buffalo’s lead to 11-1.
In the top of the seventh, Buffalo continued its offensive dominance. Stefanic and Phil Clarke both earned walks to start the inning. Joey Loperfido hit a RBI-double that brought Stefanic across the plate, making the score 12-1 Buffalo. Tirotta followed up with a sacrifice fly to deep center that sent Clarke home, handing the Bisons a 13-1 advantage.
Nunez continued Buffalo’s rout with a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth, increasing the Bisons’ lead to 14-1.
Adam Kloffenstein finished the last four innings for Buffalo. The righty allowed one run, struck out three, walked just one batter, and earned the victory.
The Bisons and Worcester will continue their six-game series with a Thursday night meeting at Polar Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. The game can be heard on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy App, and Bisons.com starting at 6:25 p.m.
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